Spool with multi-position loop keeper

ABSTRACT

A spool device ( 60, 90 ) for storing at least a portion of a telecommunications cable ( 800 ) in a storage configuration ( 870 ) includes a base ( 100, 600 ), a spool member ( 300, 700 ), and a loop engaging member ( 440, 740 ). The base ( 100, 600 ) includes a plurality of cable holders ( 110, 110   x,    110   y,    110   a,    110   p ) configured for receiving a first portion ( 822, 822   a,    822   p ) and a second portion ( 824, 824   p ) of the cable ( 800 ). The spool member ( 300, 700 ) is mounted to the base ( 100, 600 ) and includes a wrapping area ( 314, 714 ) that is configured for storing a coiled portion ( 826 ) of the cable ( 800 ). The loop engaging member ( 440, 740 ) is configured for engaging a looped portion ( 828 ) of the cable ( 800 ) and thereby secures at least the coiled portion ( 826 ) and the looped portion ( 828 ) of the cable ( 800 ). The spool device ( 60, 90 ) may be used as an adjustable overlength device for looped cable. The spool device ( 60, 90 ) may store and dispense the cable ( 800 ) while ends ( 802, 804 ) of the cable ( 800 ) remain connected to stationary first and second devices ( 902, 904 ), respectively.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/998,421, filed on Aug. 15, 2018, which is a National StageApplication of PCT/EP2017/053397, filed on Feb. 15, 2017, which claimsthe benefit of U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 62/295,427, filed onFeb. 15, 2016, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein byreference in their entireties. To the extent appropriate, a claim ofpriority is made to each of the above disclosed applications.

BACKGROUND

Spools, reels, cassettes, and cartridges can be used to storetelecommunications cable (e.g., electrical cable and/or fiber opticcable). The spools typically include a hub or a drum about which thecable is wound. The hub of the spools is often cylindrical, and thecable is often wrapped around the cylindrical hub in a predominantlycircumferential manner. By winding up the cable on the spool, the cablecan be compactly stored and transported, protected from tangling andkinking, and kept ready for easy deployment.

The installation of a telecommunications cable of a given length betweentwo devices that are fixed in location may result in an excess length ofthe telecommunications cable. The excess length of thetelecommunications cable may be vulnerable to tangling and kinking, maybe unsightly, and may not be compact.

SUMMARY

An aspect of the present disclosure relates to a spool device forstoring at least a portion of a telecommunications cable in a storageconfiguration. The spool device includes a base, a spool member, and atleast one loop engaging member. The base includes at least a first cableholder, configured for receiving a first portion of thetelecommunications cable, and a second cable holder, configured forreceiving a second portion of the telecommunications cable. The spoolmember is mounted to the base. The spool member includes a wrapping areaconfigured for storing a coiled portion of the telecommunications cable.The at least one loop engaging member is configured for engaging alooped portion of the telecommunications cable and thereby securing atleast the coiled portion and the looped portion of thetelecommunications cable in the storage configuration.

Another aspect of the present disclosure includes a method of storing atleast the portion of the above telecommunications cable on the abovespool device. The method includes: a) providing the spool device, b)providing the telecommunications cable, c) looping thetelecommunications cable, d) routing the first portion of thetelecommunications cable, e) routing the second portion of thetelecommunications cable, f) wrapping the telecommunications cable onthe wrapping area, and g) securing the loop portion of thetelecommunications cable on one of the at least one loop engagingmember. The looping of the telecommunications cable forms the loopedportion of the telecommunications cable. The routing of the firstportion of the telecommunications cable is done at the first cableholder of the base. The routing of the second portion of thetelecommunications cable is done at the second cable holder of the base.The wrapping of the telecommunications cable on the wrapping area formsthe coiled portion of the telecommunications cable. And, the securing ofthe looped portion of the telecommunications cable secures at least thecoiled portion and the looped portion of the telecommunications cable inthe storage configuration.

Still other aspects of the present disclosure may include connecting afirst end of the above telecommunications cable to a first mounteddevice prior to the wrapping of the telecommunications cable on thewrapping area and connecting a second end of the telecommunicationscable to a second mounted device prior to wrapping thetelecommunications cable on the wrapping area of the spool member.

A variety of additional aspects will be set forth in the descriptionthat follows. These aspects can relate to individual features and tocombinations of features. It is to be understood that both the foregoinggeneral description and the following detailed description are exemplaryand explanatory only and are not restrictive of the broad concepts uponwhich the embodiments disclosed herein are based.

DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a spool device, according tothe principles of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a sub-assembly of the spooldevice of FIG. 1, the sub-assembly including a base and a one-waymember;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the sub-assembly of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a sub-assembly of the spooldevice of FIG. 1, the sub-assembly including the sub-assembly of FIG. 2and a spool member;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the sub-assembly of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a sub-assembly of the spooldevice of FIG. 1, the sub-assembly including the sub-assembly of FIG. 4and a spool wall member;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the sub-assembly of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the spool wall member of FIG.6 and the one-way member of FIG. 2;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the spool wall member ofFIG. 6 and the one-way member of FIG. 2;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the sub-assembly of FIG. 6 illustratedwith a telecommunications cable routed through and wrapped about thesub-assembly;

FIG. 11 is another perspective view of the sub-assembly of FIG. 6 alsoillustrated with the telecommunications cable of FIG. 10 routed throughand wrapped about the sub-assembly;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the sub-assembly of FIG. 6 alsoillustrated with the telecommunications cable of FIG. 10 routed throughand wrapped about the sub-assembly, and also illustrated with a loopedportion of the telecommunications cable of FIG. 10 approaching a loopengaging member of the spool wall member of FIG. 6;

FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of the spool device of FIG. 1illustrated with the telecommunications cable of FIG. 10 routed throughand wrapped about the spool device and the looped portion of FIG. 12engaged with the loop engaging member of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of another spool device,according to the principles of the present disclosure;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a sub-assembly of the spool device ofFIG. 14 illustrated with the telecommunications cable of FIG. 10 routedthrough and wrapped about the sub-assembly and ends of thetelecommunications cable connected to fixed telecommunication devices,respectively;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the sub-assembly of FIG. 15 with thetelecommunications cable of FIG. 10 routed through and wrapped about thesub-assembly;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the sub-assembly of FIG. 15 with thetelecommunications cable of FIG. 10 routed through and wrapped about thesub-assembly and also illustrated with a looped portion of thetelecommunications cable engaged with a loop engaging member of a spoolmember of the spool device of FIG. 14;

FIG. 18 is an exploded perspective view of the spool device of FIG. 14illustrated with the telecommunications cable of FIG. 10 routed throughand wrapped about the spool device and also illustrated with the loopedportion of FIG. 17 engaged with the loop engaging member of FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the sub-assembly of FIG. 4;

FIG. 20 is an enlarged portion of FIG. 19, as called out at FIG. 19;

FIG. 21 is another perspective view of the sub-assembly of FIG. 4illustrated with a portion of the telecommunications cable of FIG. 10routed therethrough;

FIG. 22 is an enlarged portion of FIG. 21, as called out at FIG. 21;

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of the sub-assembly of FIG. 6 illustratedwith a portion of the telecommunications cable of FIG. 10 routedtherethrough; and

FIG. 24 is an enlarged portion of FIG. 23, as called out at FIG. 23.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary aspects of thepresent disclosure that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughoutthe drawings to refer to the same or like structure.

According to the principles of the present disclosure, a spool device 60may store a telecommunications cable 800. In addition, thetelecommunications cable 800 may be retrieved from the spool device 60.As illustrated at FIG. 1, the spool device 60 may include a base 100, aone-way member 200, a spool member 300, a spool wall member 400, and acover 500. Another spool device 90 is illustrated at FIG. 14. The spooldevice 90 includes a base 600, a spool member 700, and the cover 500. Asillustrated at FIGS. 10 and 15, the telecommunications cable 800 may bewrapped about the spool member 300 of the spool device 60 and similarlymay be wrapped about the spool member 700 of the spool device 90.

FIGS. 10 and 15 illustrate an example application of the spool devices60, 90. In particular, a first end 802 of the telecommunications cable800 is connected to a first device 902. Similarly, a second end 804 ofthe telecommunications cable 800 is connected to a second device 904.According to the principles of the present disclosure, the first device902 may be a mounted device 902, and the second device 904 may be amounted device 904. The mounted devices 902, 904 may be attached to atelecommunications cabinet, a telecommunications device, a computer,and/or other devices that are stationary and not typically moved. Thefirst end 802 of the telecommunications cable 800 may remain connectedto the first device 902, and/or the second end 804 of thetelecommunications cable 800 may remain connected to the second device904 when a portion of the telecommunications cable 800 is wrapped and/orunwrapped from the spool device 60, 90. Furthermore, the first device902 and/or the second device 904 may remain in position while theportion of the telecommunications cable 800 is wrapped about the spooldevice 60, 90 and/or unwrapped from the spool device 60, 90. The abilityto wrap and/or unwrap the telecommunications cable 800 while the ends802, 804 of the telecommunications cable 800 remain connected and/or ata fixed location makes the spool device 60, 90 useful for storing excesslength of the telecommunications cable 800 and/or for adjusting arouting of the telecommunications cable 800 between the devices 902,904.

The first end 802 of the telecommunications cable 800 may be permanentlyconnected to a component (e.g., the first device 902). The first end 802may be spliced, fusion spliced or otherwise connected to the component.As illustrated at FIG. 12, a connecting element 912 may be positioned atthe first end 802. The connecting element 912 may be a fiber opticconnector, an electrical connector, a splice, etc. The second end 804 ofthe telecommunications cable 800 may be permanently connected to acomponent (e.g., the first device 904). The second end 804 may bespliced, fusion spliced or otherwise connected to the component. Asillustrated at FIG. 12, a connecting element 914 may be positioned atthe second end 804. The connecting element 914 may be a fiber opticconnector, an electrical connector, a splice, etc.

The telecommunications cable 800 may be a patch cord. Patch cordstypically are connectorized at each of their ends. Thus, the connectingelement 912 at the first end 802 of the telecommunications cable 800 maybe a connector (e.g., a fiber optic connector, an electrical connector,etc.). Likewise, the connecting element 914 at the second end 804 of thetelecommunications cable 800 may be a connector (e.g., a fiber opticconnector, an electrical connector, etc.). The first device 902 and/orthe second device 904 may be configured to releasably receive theconnecting elements 912 and/or 914 (e.g., the connectors).

An example application of the spool device 60, 90 being used to take upexcess lengths of the telecommunications cable 800 will be furtherdescribed below. It may be desired to connect the first device 902 tothe second device 904 with the telecommunications cable 800. The devices902, 904 may be at various distances with respect to each other and arouting path for the telecommunications cable 800 may travel across avariety of obstacles of unknown size and position. Thetelecommunications cable 800 may be ordered taking into account thedistance between the devices 902, 904 and allowing for the routing pathbetween the devices 902, 904. An excess length of the telecommunicationscable 800 may be ordered to accommodate unknowns along the cable routeand/or to select a standard length of the telecommunications cable 800(e.g., 100 meters, 250 meters, etc.). Upon connecting the first end 802of the telecommunications cable 800 to the first device 902 andconnecting the second end 804 to the second device 904, the excesslength of the telecommunications cable 800 may become tangled, mayoccupy more space than desired, may appear unsightly, and/or may bevulnerable to environmental hazards. By coiling up the excess portion ofthe telecommunications cable 800 on the spool device 60, 90, the routingbetween the devices 902, 904 can follow a clean, neat, and organizedroute and the excess portion of the telecommunications cable 800 may bestored within the spool device 60, 90. In addition, as the ends 802, 804may remain connected while the excess portion of the telecommunicationscable 800 is wrapped about the spool device 60, 90, there is no need todisconnect the devices 902, 904 from each other while finalizing therouting of the telecommunications cable 800.

An example application of using the spool device 60, 90 when adjustingeither the position of one or both of the mounting devices 902, 904and/or adjusting the route of the telecommunications cable 800 betweenthe devices 902, 904 will be discussed below. From time to time, it maybe desired to rearrange either one or both of the devices 902, 904.Additionally, the telecommunications cable 800 may need to be reroutedbetween the devices 902, 904. It may be desired to leave a connectionprovided by the telecommunications cable 800 in operation while thedevices 902, 904 are moved and/or the route of the telecommunicationscable 800 is rerouted. The spool device 60, 90 allows the stored portionof the telecommunications cable 800 to be unwound from the spool device60, 90 thereby providing excess cable length between the devices 902,904 without disconnection of the devices 902, 904. The devices 902and/or 904 may then be moved within the limits of the overall length ofthe telecommunications cable 800. Similarly, the route of thetelecommunications cable 800 may be rerouted within the constraints ofthe overall length of the telecommunications cable 800. Upon the devices902, 904 being repositioned and/or the telecommunications cable 800being rerouted, the resulting excess length and/or the remaining excesslength of the telecommunications cable 800 may be wound upon the spooldevice 60, 90.

As described above in the example applications and in additionalapplications known to those of skill in the art of routing and/orconnecting telecommunications cables, the spool device 60, 90 may serveas an adjustable overlength device for telecommunications cable. Asillustrated at FIG. 2, the base 100, 600 may include a variety ofmounting elements 160 (e.g., mounting holes, mounting slots, etc.) thatallow the base 100, 600, and thereby the spool device 60, 90, to beconveniently attached against a wall, a cabinet, or other convenientlocation. The telecommunications cable 800 may be wrapped about thespool device 60, 90 before and/or after the base 100, 600 is secured toits mounting location. Upon the excess portion of the telecommunicationscable 800 being wrapped about the spool member 300, 700 of the spooldevice 60, 90, the cover 500 may be positioned over the spool member300, 700.

Turning now to FIGS. 1-13 and 19-24, the spool device 60 will bedescribed in detail. As illustrated at FIGS. 2 and 3, the base 100includes a plurality of the mounting elements 160. In particular, themounting elements 160 include a mounting slot pair 162 positioned abouta central longitudinal axis A1 of the spool device 60. The mounting slotpair includes two mounting slots with one end of the slots enlarged soas to accommodate a head of a mounting fastener. The base 100 maythereby be attached to the wall, the cabinet, etc. by positioning theenlarged ends (e.g., hole portions) over the heads of pre-positionedfasteners and, upon the fasteners reaching through the enlarged ends,the base 100 may be turned and the heads of the mounting fastenersthereby positioned over the opposite end of the slots. The mountingfasteners may be tightened to secure the base 100 to the wall, or themounting fasteners may fit snugly or otherwise not need to be tightenedupon the base 100 being rotated into the mounted position. The base 100may be mounted by itself, or as part of the spool device 60. The spooldevice 60 may be mounted to the attachment fasteners as an assembly andmay be mounted with or without the telecommunications cable 800 woundabout. As illustrated at FIGS. 2 and 3, the mounting elements 160 mayfurther include a mounting slot 164 and/or a mounting slot 166. Themounting slots 164, 166 may accommodate varying fastener positions abouta length of the mounting slots 164, 166.

As depicted, the base 100 includes a base plate 101 that extends betweena first side 102 and a second side 104. In the depicted embodiment, thebase plate 101 defines a perimeter 106 that is a cylindrical perimeter.As depicted, the base 100 includes a plurality of entrance/exits 108. Toaccommodate a variety of applications and a variety of orientations ofroutes for the telecommunications cable 800, the plurality ofentrance/exits 108 may include axial entrance/exits 108 a, perimeterentrance/exits 108 n, perimeter entrance/exits 108 r, and perimeterentrance/exits 108 t. As illustrated at FIGS. 23 and 24, the axialentrance/exit 108 a is oriented substantially perpendicular to the firstside 102 of the base plate 101 and substantially parallel to the centrallongitudinal axis A1. As illustrated at FIGS. 2 and 3, the perimeterentrance/exits 108 n are oriented substantially normal to the perimeter106 of the base plate 101. The tangent perimeter entrance/exits 108 rare oriented substantially tangential to the perimeter 106 of the baseplate 101. Likewise, the perimeter entrance/exits 108 t are orientedsubstantially tangential to the perimeter 106 of the base plate 101.

As illustrated at FIG. 10, a rotational wrapping direction Dw is definedfor the spool device 60. As illustrated at FIG. 10, the wrappingdirection Dw is clockwise as viewed when looking at the spool device 60mounted on a wall. In other embodiments, the wrapping direction Dw maybe reversed. As illustrated at FIG. 2, the perimeter entrance/exits 108r are reversing tangential perimeter entrance/exits as they receive aportion of the telecommunications cable 800 in a direction opposite fromthe wrapping direction Dw. Conversely, the perimeter entrance/exits 108t receive a portion of the telecommunications cable 800 in the wrappingdirection Dw and therefore are non-reversing tangential perimeterentrance/exits 108 t. The perimeter entrance/exits 108 n, 108 r, and 108t may thereby receive a portion of the telecommunications cable 800 in avariety of orientations and guide the telecommunications cable 800 forwrapping about the spool member 300 in the wrapping direction Dw. Theaxial entrance/exit 108 a is able to receive a portion of thetelecommunications cable 800 at the first side 102 of the base plate 101as it is routed to and/or from the spool member 300 (e.g., through awall duct). As depicted, a single portion of the telecommunicationscable 800 is illustrated entering/exiting the first side 102 of the baseplate 101. In other embodiments, two portions of the telecommunicationscable 800 may enter/exit through one or more of the axial entrance/exit108 a.

As illustrated at FIGS. 2, 3, and 20, a plurality of cable holders 110are provided on the base 100. The plurality of cable holders 110includes one or more of cable holders 110 a and one or more of cableholders 110 p. As illustrated at FIG. 20, the cable holder 110 a guidesthe telecommunications cable 800 upon entrance from the axialentrance/exit 108 a. Likewise, the cable holder 110 p holds and guidesthe telecommunications cable 800 upon entrance from the perimeterentrance/exits 108 n, 108 r, and 108 t. The cable holders 110 therebyserve to guide the telecommunications cable 800 as it passes between theexterior of the spool device 60 and the interior of the spool device 60.The cable holders 110 thereby extend between a first end 112 at theperimeter 106 or at the first side 102 of the base plate 101 and asecond end 114 at the interior of the spool device 60 (i.e., an interiorend). To retain the telecommunications cable 800 within the cable holder110, a plurality of keepers 116 may be provided. As illustrated at FIG.2, the keepers 116 extend partially over the cable holder 110 andthereby hold the telecommunications cable 800 within the cable holder110. As depicted, the cable holder 110 may take a form of a cableguiding channel, a cable guiding groove, a cable guiding slot, a cableguiding hole, etc. The channel, groove, slot, hole, etc. of the cableholder 110 may include a widened portion adjacent the keeper 116. Uponinsertion into the cable holder 110, the telecommunications cable 800may be pressed into the widened portion, and upon clearing the keeper116, the telecommunications cable 800 may tend to straighten and therebyposition itself beneath the keeper 116.

As the cable holders 110 are slot shaped in the depicted embodiments,there is no need to thread the telecommunications cable 800 through thecable holder 110. The telecommunications cable 800 may thereby remainconnected at the ends 802, 804 when positioning the portions of thetelecommunications cable 800 into the cable holders 110.

As illustrated at FIGS. 19-24, a radial slot 118 is positioned betweenthe cable holder 110 a and the perimeter 106 of the base plate 101 (seeFIG. 23). As the radial slot 118 is opened to the perimeter 106, thetelecommunications cable 800 may be positioned within the cable holder110 a without disconnecting the ends 802, 804.

As depicted at FIG. 1, the base 100 further includes a fastener stand120. The fastener stand 120 may include a fastener hole 122 (e.g., athreaded hole) positioned along the central longitudinal axis A1. Inother embodiments, alternative fastening methods may be provided. Thefastener hole 122 may include threads and thereby receive a threadedfastener to retain the cover 500, connected to the fastener stand 120 atthe fastener hole 122. In the depicted embodiment, a recess 124 isprovided around the fastener stand 120.

As further illustrated at FIG. 1, the base 100 may further include afirst mount 130. In the depicted embodiment, the first mount 130 is areleasable mount 130. As depicted, the first mount 130 includes a pairof partially cylindrical members 132. Positioned between the partiallycylindrical members 132 is a pair of retainers 134. In the depictedembodiment, the retainers 134 are a pair of opposing latches 134. In thedepicted embodiment the opposing latches 134 may deflect inwardlytogether and thereby receive a catch 422 of the spool wall member 400and thereby retain the spool wall member 400. The recess 124, betweenthe fastener stand 120 and the pair of opposing latches 134, permit thepair of opposing latches 134 to deflect inwardly. As illustrated at FIG.2, a recess 136 is provided outside of the first releasable mount 130.As depicted, the recesses 124 and 136 are annular recesses that arecentered about the central longitudinal axis A1. As also depicted, thefirst releasable mount 130 is generally centered on the centrallongitudinal axis A1.

A one-way interface 140 is provided on the base 100. In particular, theone-way interface 140 is provided on the outside portion of the recess136. As depicted, the one-way interface 140 includes a plurality ofone-way elements 142. In the depicted embodiment, the one-way elements142 are a plurality of ratchet teeth.

As illustrated at FIG. 4, the base 100 further includes a second mount150. The second mount 150 may include a pair of opposing latches 152(i.e., a retainer). In other embodiments, alternative retainers may beused. The second mount 150 may further include alignment keys 154. Anannular recess 156 may hold the alignment keys 154. The second mount 150may be generally cylindrical and extend along the central longitudinalaxis A1. In the depicted embodiment, a recess 158 is provided on thesecond mount 150. As will be further described hereinafter, the recess158 accommodates routing of the telecommunications cable 800 through theaxial entrance/exit 108 a and the axially extending cable holder 110 a.The second mount 150 is adapted to retain the spool member 300, and therecess 158 is adapted to uniquely rotationally orient the spool member300 with respect to the base 100. In the depicted embodiment, the recess158 is a wedge-shaped recess. In the depicted embodiment, the recess 158extends along a longitudinal direction substantially parallel with thecentral longitudinal axis A1. The annular recess 156 may accommodate afirst side 302 of the spool member 300 as the spool member 300 ismounted to the base 100.

The spool wall member 400 is configured to rotate in the wrappingdirection Dw (see FIG. 10) with respect to the base 100. The spool wallmember 400 is prevented from substantially rotating opposite thewrapping direction Dw. In the depicted embodiment of the spool device60, this selective rotational relationship between the spool wall member400 and the base 100 is facilitated by the one-way member 200. In thedepicted embodiment, a ratchet system is illustrated. In otherembodiments, other one-way members may be used (e.g., a one-way clutch,etc.).

As illustrated at FIG. 2, the one-way member 200 extends between a firstend 202 and a second end 204. The one-way member 200 is generallyannular in shape and extends between an outer surface 206 and an innersurface 208. As depicted, a flange 210 may extend to the inner surface208. Along a ring adjacent the outer surface 206, a pair of one-wayelements 220 are positioned with a cantilevered arm 224 extending andcurving along the outer surface 206. At a cantilevered end of thecantilevered arm 224, a pawl 222 extends above the otherwise generallycylindrical surface of the outer surface 206. Adjacent the inner surface208 and extending from the flange 210 are a set of engagement members230. In the depicted embodiment, three of the engagement members 230extend toward the second end 204 from the flange 210. In particular, theengagement members 230 extend from a base end 232, adjacent the flange,210 to an extended end 234. The engagement member 230 further includesopposing sides 236. In the depicted embodiment, the opposing sides 236are tapered and narrow as the engagement member 230 extends toward thesecond end 204.

As illustrated at FIGS. 2 and 3, the one-way member 200 may be installedinto the base 100 and thereby form a sub-assembly 10 of the spool device60. In particular, the one-way member 200 is inserted into the recess136 of the base 100 along a direction of arrow 12. The pair of opposinglatches 134 may engage the inner surface 208 of the one-way member 200and thereby prevent the one-way member 200 from inadvertently separatingfrom the base 100 after installation. FIG. 3 illustrates the one-wayelement 220 installed in the base 100.

Turning now to FIG. 4, the spool member 300 will be described in detail.The spool member 300 extends between the first side 302 and a secondside 304 (see FIG. 1). The spool member 300 includes a wall 390 with afirst side 392 and a second side 394. As depicted, the wall 390 includesa plurality of partition members 360. In the depicted embodiment, fourpartition members 360 a, 360 b, 360 c, and 360 d are included in thewall 390. In other embodiments, more than four or fewer than fourpartition members 360 may be included on the wall 390. The partitionmembers 360 each extend between a first edge 362 and a second edge 364.The second edges 364, taken together, generally define a perimeter 306of the wall 390. As illustrated at FIGS. 1 and 5, the partition members360 extend between a third edge 366 and a fourth edge 368. A radius 370may be formed at intersections of the edges 364, 366, 368. The edges 366and 368 of adjacent partition members 360 form a set of cable passages380 through the wall 390. In particular, a cable passage 380 a is formedbetween the partition member 360 a and 360 b. Likewise, a cable passage380 b is formed between the partition member 360 b and the partitionmember 360 c. Likewise, a cable passage 380 c is formed between thepartition member 360 c and 360 d. And, a cable passage 380 d is formedbetween the partition member 360 d and the partition member 360 a. Inthe depicted embodiment, the cable passages 380 are slot-like. As thecable passages 380 are each open to the perimeter 306, thetelecommunications cable 800 may be positioned within the cable passages380 without disconnecting the ends 802, 804.

The wall 390 generally extends perpendicular to a hub 310 of the spoolmember 300. The hub 310 extends between the first side 302 and thesecond side 304 of the spool member 300. As depicted, the hub 310includes an exterior 312 that is substantially cylindrically shaped. Acable wrapping area 314 is formed on the exterior 312 of the hub 310. Awrapping surface 316 may be defined on the exterior 312 of the hub 310.A lip 318 of the hub 310 may be inserted into an annular groove 414 ofthe spool wall member 400.

The spool member 300 may include an interior 308. As depicted, theinterior 308 of the spool member 300 is substantially defined by aninterior of the hub 310.

The spool member 300 may further include a mount engaging arrangement320. The mount engaging arrangement 320 is adapted to mount the spoolmember 300 to the base 100. In particular, the mount engagingarrangement 320 may include one or more catches 322 and/or notches 328.In the depicted embodiment, a pair of the catches 322 is formed by latchengaging shoulders of the catches 322. A pair of latch reliefs 324extends from the latch engaging shoulders of the catches 322 to thesecond side 304 of the spool member 300. At the first side 302 of thespool member 300, a plurality of the notches 328 are formed within thehub 310. The notches 328 each include a pair of notch edges 330 and anotch bottom 332. The notch edges 330 may serve as anti-rotationfeatures. Alternatively or additionally, latch relief edges 326 may formanti-rotation features.

As illustrated at FIGS. 19-24, the spool member 300 may further includeone or more grooves 350 that accommodate routing of thetelecommunications cable 800 when routed to the axial entrance/exit 108a. In particular, the groove 350 extends between a first end 352 and asecond end 354. The groove 350 may generally sweep an angle of about 90degrees about an axis A3 (see FIG. 20). The groove 350 generally extendsbelow the wrapping surface 316 of the spool member 300. The groove 350may allow positioning of the telecommunications cable 800 below thesurface 316 of the spool member 300 at the first end 352 of the groove350. As the groove 350 progresses toward the second end 354, a depth ofthe groove 350 diminishes to zero. The depth of the groove 350 at thefirst end 352 may be about the same as a depth of the cable holders 110.As illustrated at FIG. 19, the depth of the cable holders 110 isillustrated by a dimension Ds. As the telecommunications cable 800passes along the groove 350 from the first end 352 to the second end354, the telecommunications cable 800 gradually rises above the wrappingsurface 316 of the hub 310. At the second end 354 of the groove 350, thetelecommunications cable 800 is fully above the wrapping surface 316.The groove 350 thereby approaches the wrapping surface 316 in atangential manner at the second end 354. The groove 350 guides thetelecommunications cable 800 from an axial orientation, substantiallyparallel to the central longitudinal axis A1, to an orientationsubstantially tangential to the wrapping surface 316 at the second end354. The telecommunications cable 800 is oriented substantially parallelto the wall 390 at the second end 354 of the groove 350.

To retain the telecommunications cable 800 within the groove 350, one ormore keepers 356 may be provided. The interior 308 of the spool member300 may accommodate the groove 350 with a set of inwardly extendingfeatures. In particular, a ramp 340 is included on the interior 308 ofthe spool member 300. The ramp 340 extends from a tangent end 342 to araised end 344. The ramp 340 further extends between a longitudinal end346 and the notch bottom 332 and/or the first end 302 of the spoolmember 300. The ramp 340 therefore takes a form of a wedge, a key, etc.As illustrated at FIG. 4, the ramp 340 extends generally in alongitudinal direction parallel to the central longitudinal axis A1. Theraised end 344 may generally correspond with the first end 352 of thegroove 350, as more depth is needed there. Conversely, the tangent end342 of the ramp 340 may correspond with the second end 354 of the groove350, as diminishing depth is required there. A pocket 348 may beincluded that generally corresponds to the curvature of the groove 350as it extends between the first end 352 and the second end 354. A slot349 may further extend between the pocket 348 and the second side 304 ofthe spool member 300.

As the raised end 344 of the ramp 340 extends between the first end 302and the longitudinal end 346, the raised end 344 may serve as a key fororienting the spool member 300 with the base 100. The ramp 340 is shapedto be received by the recess 158. The spool member 300 thereby mounts tothe base 100 in a unique orientation relative to the base 100.

Turning now to FIGS. 4 and 5, the installation of the spool member 300onto the base 100 is illustrated and will now be described in detail. Toassemble the spool member 300 onto the base 100 of the sub-assembly 10and thereby form a sub-assembly 20 of the spool device 60, the spoolmember 300 and the base 100 are aligned along the central longitudinalaxis A1 with the first side 302 of the spool member 300 facing thesecond side 104 of the base plate 101. The spool member 300 is then slidinto the base 100 along the direction of arrow 22 (see FIG. 4). Inparticular, the alignment keys 154 of the base 100 are engaged with thenotches 328 of the spool member 300. In addition, the ramp 340 may beengaged with the recess 158. As the spool member 300 is pushed inwardlyalong the direction of the arrow 22, the opposing latches 152 deflectinwardly until the latches 152 reach the catches 322. Upon the latches152 reaching the catches 322, the latches 152 extend outwardly andengage the catches 322. The latches 152 may occupy the pair of latchreliefs 324. FIG. 5 illustrates the spool member 300 mounted to the base100.

Turning now to FIG. 6, the spool wall member 400 will be described indetail. The spool wall member 400 extends between a first side 402 and asecond side 404. As depicted, a hub 410 extends between the first side402 and the second side 404. A wall 490 projects radially outwardly awayfrom the hub 410 to a perimeter 406 of the spool wall member 400. Asillustrated at FIG. 8, the hub 410 is substantially cylindrical at anexterior surface and extends inwardly to an interior 412. As depicted,the interior 412 is substantially the same as an interior 408 of thespool wall member 400. As illustrated at FIG. 9, the interior 412 of thehub 410 includes a mount engaging arrangement 420. In particular, thecatch 422 is formed within the interior 412 of the hub 410. A latchrelief 424 extends from the catch 422 to the second side 404 of thespool wall member 400. As depicted the catch 422 is a latch engagingshoulder. In other embodiments, the mount engaging arrangement 420 maytake other forms. As depicted, a plurality of notches 428 extendsinwardly from the first side 402 of the spool wall member 400. Thenotches 428 extend between the exterior of the hub 410 and the interior412 of the hub 410. As depicted, three of the notches 428 are equallydistributed along a circumference of the hub 410. In other embodiments,more than three or fewer than three notches 428 may be used. The notches428 project toward the second side 404 of the spool wall member 400 to anotch bottom 432. Each of the notches 428 is defined by a pair of notchedges 430. In the depicted embodiment, the notches 428 are tapered andextend inwardly as the notches 428 extend toward the second side 404.

The wall 490 extends between a first side 492 and a second side 494. Thefirst side 492 of the wall 490 includes the annular groove 414. The hub410 extends outwardly away from the first side 492 of the wall 490.

A cable passage 480 extends through the wall 490. The wall 490 therebyincludes a spool wall partition member 460 that extends between a firstend 462, adjacent the annular groove 414, and a second end 464 thatgenerally defines the perimeter 406 of the spool wall member 400. Thespool wall partition member 460 circumferentially extends between athird edge 466 and a fourth edge 468. As depicted at FIG. 8, the cablepassage 480 is slot-like and extends between the third edge 466 and thefourth edge 468 down to a bottom 472. A chamfer 470 may be includedbetween the bottom 472 and the third edge 466. The cable passage 480 isthereby open outwardly in a radial direction away from the hub 410. Asthe cable passage 480 is open to the perimeter 406, thetelecommunications cable 800 may be positioned within the cable passage480 without disconnecting the ends 802, 804.

Turning again to FIG. 6, features on the second side 404 of the spoolwall member 400 will be described in detail. A loop engaging member 440extends outwardly from the second side 494 of the wall 490. As depicted,the loop engaging member 440 includes a cylindrical surface 442 that mayprovide radial support for the telecommunications cable 800. Asillustrated at FIG. 6, the loop engaging member 440 defines an axis A2that extends substantially parallel to the central longitudinal axis A1.As illustrated at FIG. 1, the axis A2 is spaced from the centrallongitudinal axis A1 by a distance Da. The loop engaging member 440further defines a radius R1.

To retain the telecommunications cable 800 adjacent the loop engagingmember 440, a radial keeper 456 may be provided. A plurality ofretainers 444 may further be provided to position the telecommunicationscable 800 against the second side 494 of the wall 490. The retainers 444and the radial keeper 456 may be included in a cable guide arrangement450. The cable guide arrangement 450 further includes a pair of guides452. The pair of guides 452 includes a first guide 452 a and a secondguide 452 b. The pair of guides 452 guide the telecommunications cable800 as it approaches the loop engaging member 440. To keep thetelecommunications cable 800 positioned adjacent the second side 494 ofthe wall 490, adjacent the pair of guides 452, a pair of keepers 454 mayextend inwardly together from the pair of guides 452. A gap is formedbetween the pair of keepers 454 thereby allowing the telecommunicationscable 800 to be positioned within the keepers 454 and adjacent theguides 452 without disconnecting the ends 802, 804. As depicted, a firstkeeper 454 a of the pair of keepers 454 extends from the guide 452 a anda second keeper 454 b of the pair of keepers 454 extends from the guide452 b.

Turning again to FIGS. 6 and 7, the installation of the spool wallmember 400 onto the base 100 and into engagement with the one-way member200 will be described in detail. To install the spool wall member 400onto the base 100 of the sub-assembly 20 and thereby form a sub-assembly30 of the spool device 60, the spool wall member 400 and the base 100are aligned along the central longitudinal axis A1. Upon alignment, thespool wall member 400 is slid along a direction of arrow 32 along thecentral longitudinal axis A1. As illustrated at FIGS. 8 and 9, as thefirst side 402 of the spool wall member 400 approaches the one-waymember 200, the spool wall member 400 may be rotated about the centrallongitudinal axis A1 until the notches 428 are aligned with theengagement members 230 of the one-way element 220. As the engagementmembers 230 are inserted into the notches 428, the spool wall member 400and the one-way member 200 become rotationally engaged with each other.As the pawls 222 are engaged with the teeth 142 of the base 100,rotation of the spool wall member 400 may substantially only occur inthe wrapping direction Dw. It is understood that a small amount ofbacklash, deformation, or other minor effects may be present that allowa small amount of rotation opposite the wrapping direction Dw. Thus, byindicating that rotation may substantially only occur in the wrappingdirection Dw, these minor effects are neglected. Upon continuedinsertion of the spool wall member 400 into the base 100, the pair ofopposing latches 134 deform inwardly toward each other until the catch422 is reached. Upon the catch 422 being reached by the pair of opposinglatches 134, the pair of opposing latches 134 spread outwardly andengages the catch 422. The pair of opposing latches 134 may occupy thelatch relief 424 upon spreading apart. FIG. 7 illustrates the spool wallmember 400 engaged with the base 100. As the one-way member 200 isrotationally engaged between the base 100 and the spool wall member 400,the spool wall member 400 is selectively rotatably mounted to the base100 and may rotate relative to the base 100 in the wrapping directionDw.

Turning now to FIG. 13, the cover 500 will be described in detail. Thecover 500 extends between a first side 502 and a second side 504. At thesecond side 504, an end wall 506 substantially covers the second side504. A fastener hole 512 may extend through the end wall 506 and therebyallow a fastener to be inserted through the fastener hole 512 and engagethe fastener hole 122 of the base 100 and thereby attach the cover 500to the base 100. The fastener hole 512 and the fastener may be includedin an attachment arrangement 510. In other embodiments, alternativemethods of fastening and/or attaching the cover 500 to the base 100 maybe used. The cover 500 further includes a perimeter wall 508 thatextends from the first side 502 to the second side 504 and joins the endwall 506. The cover 500 may be installed over the loop engaging member440 and other portions of the spool wall member 400 and further over thespool member 300 and thereby substantially cover the telecommunicationscable 800 held by the spool device 60.

An example method of storing a portion of the telecommunications cable800 on the spool device 60 will now be described in detail. As the cover500 is removed while the telecommunications cable 800 is installed, thetelecommunications cable 800 is installed on the sub-assembly 30 (seeFIG. 7) and thereby forms sub-assembly 40 (see FIG. 10). Upon installingthe cover 500 upon the sub-assembly 40, a spool device and cableassembly 50 is formed (see FIG. 13).

In the example method, the telecommunications cable 800 extends betweenthe first end 802, mounted to the first device 902, and the second end804 mounted to the second device 904. A first exterior portion 812 mayextend from a short distance to a substantial distance away from thefirst device 902, and a second exterior portion 814 may extend from ashort distance to a substantial distance away from the second device904. An amount from a small amount or a substantial amount of excesstelecommunications cable 800 may be present upon routing thetelecommunications cable 800 along a desired route between the devices902, 904. If the excess portion of the telecommunications cable 800exceeds the capacity of the spool device 60, multiple spool devices 60may be used to store the excess telecommunications cable 800. Atapproximately a desired mounting location of the spool device 60, alooped portion 828 may be formed of the excess telecommunications cable800. The looped portion 828 extends in a first direction along thetelecommunications cable 800 toward the first end 802 along a firststrand 842 and also extends in a second direction along thetelecommunications cable 800 toward the second end 804 along a secondstrand 844. The first and second strands 842, 844 together form a pairof strands 850. The strands 842, 844 of the pair of strands 850 maygenerally run together, may be twisted together, not twisted together,or may be sporadically twisted together, as might happen when wrappingthe pair of strands 850 without particular concern for them twisting ornot twisting together.

If the first end 802 is mounted to the first device 902 and the secondend 804 is mounted to the second device 904 prior to routing and storingthe telecommunications cable 800 in the spool device 60, there should beno inadvertent excess slack or length shortages of telecommunicationscable 800 along the routed path. In particular, the spool device 60 maybe placed at any convenient location along the intended routed path, thefirst exterior portion 812 and the second exterior portion 814 may beneatly positioned, as desired, along the routed path with no inadvertentexcess slack. Length shortages are likewise avoided as thetelecommunications cable 800 may be ordered or configured longer thanthe routed path. As the final step in routing the telecommunicationscable 800 is winding the excess length about the spool device 60, noneof the excess length need be accumulated outside of the spool device 60.

If the first exterior portion 812 and the second exterior portion 814approach the spool device 60 from different directions, as illustratedat FIG. 11, the pair of strands 850 may not begin until initial routingof a first interior portion 822, a second interior portion 824, a firsttransitional portion 832, a second transitional portion 834, and asingle strand extension portion 836 are routed through the base 100 andinitially onto the spool member 300. In particular, as illustrated atFIG. 3, the first exterior portion 812 extends to the first interiorportion 822 upon entering the entrance/exit 108 of the base 100. Asillustrated, the first interior portion 822, 822 p is secured within afirst cable holder 110 x, 110 p. The first cable holder 110 x, 110 pguides the first interior portion 822, 822 p into a tangential positionwith respect to the wrapping surface 316 of the spool member 300.Likewise, the second exterior portion 814 extends to the second interiorportion 824 upon entering a second cable holder 110 y, 110 p. The secondcable holder 110 y, 110 p similarly guides the second interior portion824, 824 p into a tangential orientation with the wrapping surface 316of the spool member 300. As the telecommunications cable 800 leaves thefirst cable holder 110 x, 110 p, the first transitional portion 832, 832p begins and passes through one of the cable passages 380. In theexample depicted at FIG. 5, the first transitional portion 832, 832 ppasses through the cable passage 380 d. Upon reaching the wrappingsurface 316 of the spool member 300, the first transitional portion 832,832 p extends to the extension portion 836. The extension portion 836continues until the first strand 842 and the second strand 844 meet andbecome the pair of strands 850.

Returning now to FIG. 3, the second interior portion 824, 824 p issimilarly guided through the second cable holder 110 y, 110 p. As thetelecommunications cable 800 leaves the second cable holder 110 y, 110p, the second interior portion 824, 824 p extends to the secondtransitional portion 834. As illustrated at FIG. 5, the secondtransitional portion 834, like the first transitional portion 832,extends through one of the cable passages 380. In the depictedembodiment, the second transitional portion 834 extends through thecable passage 380 b. In the depicted embodiment, as the secondtransitional portion 834 enters the wrapping area 314, it meets theextension portion 836 and the pair of strands 850 is formed. Upon thepair of strands 850 being formed, the excess portion of thetelecommunications cable 800 is wrapped about the spool wrapping area314 until a short portion of the looped portion 828 remains. Forexample, FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate a remaining looped portion 828 thatwould not have enough length to wrap an additional revolution about thewrapping area 314. Thus, a substantial portion and/or a majority portionof the excess portion of the telecommunications cable 800 is wrappedabout the spool wrapping area 314, but the telecommunications cable 800is in an unsecured configuration 860.

Turning now to FIG. 7, the pair of strands 850 exits the wrapping area314 and a third transitional portion 852 and a fourth transitionalportion 854 is formed as the pair of strands 850 passes through thecable passage 480. A coiled portion 826 has thereby been wound upon thewrapping area 314 between the wall 390 and the wall 490, and the loopedportion 828 will now be secured. A third portion 830 of thetelecommunications cable 800 may be formed outside of the wrapping area314 between the third and fourth transitional portions 852, 854 and thelooped portion 828. The third portion 830 may be routed through thecable guide arrangement 450, and the looped portion 828 may bepositioned around the loop engaging member 440. FIG. 12 illustrates theloop engaging member 440 with the looped portion 828 positioned quiteloosely about the loop engaging member 440. To finalize the storage ofthe telecommunications cable 800 about the spool device 60, the spoolwall member 400 is rotated in the wrapping direction Dw (see FIG. 10).The looped portion 828 is thereby brought into contact with a radialsurface 458 of the cable guide arrangement 450, and thetelecommunications cable 800 is configured in a storage configuration870. As illustrated at FIG. 13, substantially all slack has been removedfrom the telecommunications cable 800, and the telecommunications cable800 is neatly stored within the spool device 60. As the one-way member200 does not allow the loop engaging member 440 to rotate about thecentral longitudinal axis A1 opposite the rotational wrapping directionDw, the one-way member 200 and the loop engaging member 440 secure thetelecommunications cable 800 in the storage configuration 870. Tofurther tidy up appearances and to protect the telecommunications cable800, the cover 500 may be installed over the coiled portion 826 and thelooped portion 828 of the telecommunications cable 800.

Turning now to FIGS. 19-24, the entrance and transition of thetelecommunications cable 800 when entering from the axial entrance/exit108 a is illustrated. In particular, the first exterior portion 812approaches the first side 102 of the base plate 101 and enters at theaxial entrance/exit 108 a. For this example, the first cable holder 110x is assigned to the cable holder 110 a. Like the cable holder 110 x,110 p, illustrated at FIG. 3 in the prior example, the cable holder 110,110 x, 110 a guides the telecommunications cable 800 and, in particular,guides the first interior portion 822, 822 a through the base plate 101of the base 100. The cable holder 110, 110 x, 110 a guides the firstinterior portion 822, 822 a into the groove 350 of the spool member 300.Upon exiting the cable holder 110, 110 x, 110 a, the first interiorportion 822, 822 a extends into a first transitional portion 832, 832 a.One or more of the keepers 356 may retain the first transitional portion832, 832 a within the groove 350. Upon the first transitional portion832, 832 a reaching the second end 354 of the groove 350, the firsttransitional portion 832, 832 a may be met by the second strand 844 andthereby immediately form the pair of strands 850. Alternatively, thefirst transitional portion 832, 832 a may extend around the wrappingarea 314 as the single strand extension portion 836 until meeting thesecond strand 844 at one of the cable passages 380. Upon the firststrand 842 and the second strand 844 becoming the pair of strands 850,the winding about the wrapping area 314 continues in the same way as theprior example.

In certain embodiments, the first exterior portion 812 and the secondexterior portion 814 may both approach the first side 102 of the baseplate 101 together and either be routed together through the groove 350or a groove similar to 350 but customized for holding the first strand842 and the second strand 844 together. Alternatively, two of thegrooves 350 may be included on the spool member 300 and one of thegrooves 350 may accommodate the first strand 842 while the other of thegrooves 350 may accommodate the second strand 844.

Turning now to FIGS. 14-18, the spool device 90 will be described indetail. The spool device 90 includes similarities to the spool device60. Therefore, the spool device 90 will be described where it differsfrom the spool device 60. The spool device 90 includes the base 600 thatis similar to the base 100. However, the one-way interface 140 may beeliminated from the base 600. The spool member 700 may substantiallyinclude all of the features of the spool member 300. In addition, thespool member 700 may include many of the features of the hub 410 of thespool wall member 400. However, the notches 428 are not needed in a hub710 of the spool member 700.

The spool device 90 differs from the spool device 60 in that no parts ofthe spool device 90 rotate relative to each other (except for possiblythe cover 500). Therefore, the one-way member 200 and features directlyassociated with the one-way member 200 are not needed in the spooldevice 90. Instead of having the loop engaging member 440 that rotatesin the wrapping direction Dw, the spool device 90 includes a pluralityof loop engaging members 740, and the looped portion 828 is attached tothe best fitting one of the loop engaging members 740. The spool member700 includes an inner annular groove 748 and an outer annular groove 750that allow the looped portion 828 of the telecommunications cable 800 toextend around the axis A1 almost a full revolution. Therefore, ratherthan having the single loop engaging member 440 that removes slack fromthe looped portion 828, the plurality of the loop engaging members 740is positioned around the central longitudinal axis A1 and therebysubstantially allow slack to be removed from the looped portion 828.

Turning now to FIG. 14, the spool member 700 will be described indetail. The spool member 700 extends between a first side 702 and asecond side 704. The first side 702 is similar to or the same as thefirst side 302 of the spool member 300. Thus, the spool member 700engages the base 600 in substantially the same way as the spool member300 engages the base 100. The spool member 700 includes a spool wall 760similar to the spool wall 460. However, the spool wall 760 does notrotate relative to the base 600. The spool wall 760 includes a cablepassage 780 similar in function to the cable passage 480. However, asthe spool wall 760 does not rotate, neither does the cable passage 780.The spool wall 760 and the cable passage 780 include a first edge 766similar to the edge 466 and also include a second edge 768 similar tothe edge 468. The spool wall 760 includes a perimeter 706 similar to theperimeter 406. However, the perimeter 706 does not rotate with respectto the base 600. The spool member 700 includes an interior 708 similarto the interior 408. In particular, the interior 708 may include some orall of the features of the mount engaging arrangement 420. It isunderstood that the spool member 700 includes redundant attachments tothe base 600. It is further understood that one or more of the redundantattachments may be removed from the spool device 90. For example, amount engaging arrangement 720, similar to or the same as the mountengaging arrangement 420, may be removed from the spool member 700, andthe mount engaging arrangement 320 may instead be used to connect thespool member 700 to the base 600. Alternatively, the mount engagingarrangement 720 may be kept and the features of the mount engagingarrangement 320 of the spool member 700 may be deleted.

Turning again to FIG. 14, the spool wall 760 and features attachedthereto will be described in detail. As illustrated, the plurality ofthe loop engaging members 740 is arranged about the central longitudinalaxis A1. Each of the loop engaging members 740 includes a convex portion742 that may serve as an engagement surface for the looped portion 828of the telecommunications cable 800. The convex portion 742 meets boththe inner annular groove 748 and the outer annular groove 750 in asubstantially tangential manner. A lip 752 extends around the outerannular groove 750. Similarly, an external surface 754 of the hub 710 ofthe spool member 700 forms an inside portion of the inner annular groove748.

As illustrated at FIG. 15, the loop engaging members 740 each include asurface 758 that may engage the looped portion 828 of thetelecommunications cable 800. The first of the loop engaging members 740includes additional features to introduce the looped portion 828 intothe inner annular groove 748 and the outer annular groove 750. Exceptfor the first loop engaging member 740 a, the remaining loop engagingmembers 740 each include the concave portion 744. A groove 746 isthereby formed between the concave portion 744 and the convex portion742. A last concave portion is formed on an end member 740 b. The endmember 740 b forms one side of the last groove 746. The end member 740 bdoes not include the surface 758 that engages the looped portion 828 onan inside of the looped portion 828.

The telecommunications cable 800 may be selected from a variety oftelecommunications cables including fiber-optic cables and/or electricalcables. The telecommunications cables may include a variety of minimumallowable bend radii. In certain embodiments, the device 60, 90 may beadapted for winding, unwinding, storing, and other functions whileprotecting the telecommunications cable 800 from developing a bendradius of less than 15 millimeters. In other embodiments, the device 60,90 may be adapted for similarly protecting the telecommunications cable800 from developing a bend radius of less than 19 millimeters or 25millimeters or 50 millimeters or 100 millimeters. The exampleillustrated embodiments of the device 60, 90 are suited for fiber opticcables with an outer diameter of about 1.5 millimeters to 2 millimeters.In other embodiments, other outer diameters of fiber optic cables may beused.

By preventing cable slack at the end of the cable loop 828 from hangingfreely and/or uncontrolled in the device 60, 90, the device 60, 90 mayprevent uncontrolled bend radius, cable pinching and/or signal losses intelecommunications cable 800 including optical fiber.

Various modifications and alterations of this disclosure will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scopeand spirit of this disclosure, and it should be understood that thescope of this disclosure is not to be unduly limited to the illustrativeembodiments set forth herein.

PARTS LIST Number Name A1 central longitudinal axis A2 axis A3 axis Dadistance Ds depth Dw rotational wrapping direction Rb Rl radius Rw Ws 10 sub-assembly  12 arrow  20 sub-assembly  22 arrow  30 sub-assembly 32 arrow  40 sub-assembly  50 spool device and cable assembly  60 spooldevice  70  80  90 spool device 100 base 101 base plate 102 first side104 second side 106 perimeter 108 entrance/exit  108a axialentrance/exit  108n normal perimeter entrance/exit  108r reversingtangent perimeter entrance/exit  108t tangent perimeter entrance/exit110 cable holder  110a cable holder  110p cable holder  110x first cableholder  110y second cable holder 112 first end 114 interior end 116keeper 118 radial slot 120 fastener stand 122 fastener hole 124 recess130 first mount 132 partially cylindrical members 134 opposing latches136 recess 140 one-way interface 142 one-way elements 150 second mount152 latch 154 alignment keys 156 annular recess 158 recess 160 mountingelement 162 mounting slot pair 164 mounting slot 166 mounting slot 170base layer 180 cable routing layer 200 one-way member 202 first end 204second end 206 outer surface 208 inner surface 210 flange 220 one-wayelement 222 pawl 224 cantilevered arm 230 engagement member 232 base end234 extended end 236 opposing sides 300 spool member 302 first end 304second side 306 perimeter 308 interior 310 hub 312 exterior 314 cablewrapping area 316 wrapping surface 318 lip 320 mount engagingarrangement 322 catch 324 latch relief 326 latch relief edge 328 notch330 notch edges 332 notch bottom 340 ramp 342 tangent end 344 raised end346 longitudinal end 348 pocket 349 slot 350 groove 352 first end 354second end 356 keepers 360 partition member  360a partition member  360bpartition member  360c partition member  360d partition member 362 edge364 edge 366 edge 368 edge 370 radius 380 cable passage  380a cablepassage  380b cable passage  380c cable passage  380d cable passage 390wall 392 first side 394 second side 396 stationary wall layer 398 cablewrapping layer 400 spool wall member 402 first side 404 second side 406perimeter 408 interior 410 hub 412 interior 414 annular groove 420 mountengaging arrangement 422 catch 424 latch relief 428 notch 430 notchedges 432 notch bottom 440 loop engaging member 442 cylindrical surface444 retainers 450 cable guide arrangement 452 guides  452a guide  452bguide 454 pair of keepers  454a first keeper  454b second keeper 456radial keeper 458 radial surface 460 spool wall 462 first end 464 secondend 466 edge 468 edge 470 chamfer 472 bottom 480 cable passage 490 wall492 first side 494 second side 496 outer wall layer 498 cable loop layer500 cover 502 first side 504 second side 506 end wall 508 perimeter wall510 attachment arrangement 512 fastener hole 600 base 700 spool member702 first side 704 second side 706 perimeter 708 interior 710 hub 714wrapping area 720 mount engaging arrangement 740 loop engaging member 740a first loop engaging member  740b end member 742 convex portion 744concave portion 746 groove 748 inner annular groove 750 outer annulargroove 752 lip 754 external surface 758 surface 760 spool wall 766 firstedge 768 second edge 780 cable passage 800 telecommunications cable 802first end 804 second end 812 first exterior portion 814 second exteriorportion 822 first interior portion  822a first interior portion  822pfirst interior portion 824 second interior portion  824p second interiorportion 826 coiled portion 828 looped portion 830 third portion 832first transitional portion  832a first transitional portion  832p firsttransitional portion 834 second transitional portion 836 single strandextension portion 842 first strand 844 second strand 850 pair of strands852 third transitional portion 854 fourth transitional portion 860unsecured configuration 870 storage configuration 902 first device 904second device 912 first connecting element 914 second connecting element

1.-28. (canceled)
 29. A spool device configured for storing at least aportion of a telecommunications cable in a storage configuration, thespool device comprising: a base; a spool member mounted to the base, thespool member including a wrapping area configured for storing a coiledportion of the telecommunications cable; at least one loop engagingmember configured for engaging a looped portion of thetelecommunications cable and thereby securing at least the coiledportion and the looped portion of the telecommunications cable in thestorage configuration; and a spool wall positioned between the wrappingarea and at least portions of the at least one engaging member.
 30. Thespool device of claim 29, wherein the first cable holder, the secondcable holder, the wrapping area, and the at least one loop engagingmember are all configured to route the telecommunications cable withbend radii greater than a predetermined minimum bend radius.
 31. Thespool device of claim 30, wherein the predetermined minimum bend radiusis 15 mm.
 32. The spool device of claim 29 wherein the wrapping areadefines a first axis and the at least one loop engaging member defines asecond axis substantially parallel to and spaced from the first axis.33. The spool device of claim 29, wherein the base includes at least afirst cable holder configured for receiving a first portion of thetelecommunications cable and a second cable holder configured forreceiving a second portion of the telecommunications cable, wherein thebase defines a perimeter, wherein the first cable holder and the secondcable holder each respectively extend from an entrance/exit at theperimeter to an interior end, wherein the first cable holder and thesecond cable holder are each respectively oriented at the entrance/exitswith a predetermined orientation with respect to the perimeter, andwherein the first cable holder and the second cable holder are eachrespectively oriented at the interior end to be substantially tangentialto the wrapping area in a same rotational direction.
 34. The spooldevice of claim 29, further comprising a wall including at least onecable passage, the wall positioned between the wrapping area and atleast portions of the first cable holder and the second cable holder,the at least one cable passage configured to transfer a firsttransitional portion of the telecommunications cable from the firstportion of the telecommunications cable to a first strand of a pair ofstrands of the coiled portion of the telecommunications cable, and theat least one cable passage further configured to transfer a secondtransitional portion of the telecommunications cable from the secondportion of the telecommunications cable to a second strand of the pairof strands of the coiled portion of the telecommunications cable. 35.The spool device of claim 34, wherein the wall is one piece with thespool member.
 36. The spool device of claim 29, wherein the baseincludes a releasable mount and the spool member includes a mountengaging arrangement, wherein the mount engaging arrangement releasablyattaches to the releasable mount and thereby mounts the spool member tothe base, and wherein the mount engaging arrangement detaches from thereleasable mount and thereby unmounts the spool member from the base.37. The spool device of claim 36, wherein the spool member isrotationally fixed to the base when the mount engaging arrangement ofthe spool member is releasably attached to the releasable mount of thebase.
 38. The spool device of claim 34, wherein the at least one cablepassage includes at least two of the cable passages and separate ones ofthe at least two cable passages are configured to transfer the firsttransitional portion and the second transitional portion, respectively.39. The spool device of claim 29, wherein the spool wall includes atleast one cable passage.
 40. The spool device of claim 39, furthercomprising a one-way device, wherein the spool wall and the at least oneloop engaging member are included on a spool wall member that isrotatably mounted to the base, and wherein the one-way device allows thespool wall member to rotate in a wrapping direction and substantiallyprevents the spool wall member from rotating opposite the wrappingdirection.
 41. A method of storing a portion of a telecommunications,the method including: providing a spool device having a base, a wrappingarea, and at least one loop engaging member; providing atelecommunications cable; looping the telecommunications cable andthereby forming a looped portion (828) of the telecommunications cable;routing the first portion of the telecommunications cable on a firstcable holder of the base; routing a second portion of thetelecommunications cable on a second cable holder of the base; wrappingthe telecommunications cable on the wrapping area and thereby formingthe coiled portion of the telecommunications cable; and securing thelooped portion of the telecommunications cable on the at least one loopengaging member and thereby securing at least the coiled portion and thelooped portion of the telecommunications cable in the storageconfiguration.
 42. The method of claim 41, further comprising:connecting a first end of the telecommunications cable to a firstmounted device prior to wrapping the telecommunications cable on thewrapping area of the spool member; and connecting a second end of thetelecommunications cable to a second mounted device prior to wrappingthe telecommunications cable on the wrapping area of the spool member.43. A spool device configured for storing at least a portion of atelecommunications cable in a storage configuration, the spool devicecomprising: a spool member positioned between a first wall and a secondwall and defining a wrapping area for the telecommunications cable; anda loop engaging member located on the first wall on a side opposite thespool member, the loop engaging member for engaging a looped portion ofthe telecommunications cable.
 44. The spool device of claim 43, whereinthe first wall is rotatable with respect to the second wall.
 45. Thespool device of claim 44, wherein the first wall is rotatable withrespect to the second wall in only a single direction.
 46. The spooldevice of claim 43, wherein the loop engaging member includes aplurality of circumferentially arranged loop engaging members.
 47. Thespool device of 43, wherein the spool member includes a plurality ofpartition members extending in a direction generally parallel to thefirst and second walls.